Page 27 of Sequel to the Easter Bunny

He turns to me, a slow twist of his head and for a moment, I think he’s going to lash out, but he only sighs. And then, he slips from his chair and fishes something out of his pocket.

When he throws it to me… I catch the keys to the convertible.

His mumble is like gravel grinding against itself. “No time to waste.”

I shove to my feet, ignoring the fact that my shoes are gone, and hurry through the lobby.

When I’m in the car, headed back to my tower on the other side of the Valley, I finally tear the mask off my face.

If I manage to complete this task, it will only be with the help of a miracle.

Power & Control

“Hello gorgeous.”

I turn so quickly, I knock over a stack of the books I’ve already discarded.

Ari stands in the doorway of the library, holding coffee and watching me with an amused smile. “That dress is gorgeous, but it’s not really appropriate for the day’s agenda.”

“Screw the day’s agenda. I have to find a freaking bird and get it back to the god of summer before sunset, or I’m dead.”

“I’m going to need that one more time, but slower, and with less panic.”

I drop the book I had just opened and fall to sit in the enormous pile of others I’ve already discarded.

The tower library had been the only hope I’d had.

Everything was covered in dust—I don’t know when the last time someone had used it. Jamus certainly had never come in here.

But the books—and there were thousands of them—weren’t giving up their secrets easily. It had taken me an hour just to find this section. I hadn’t even thought to look for it at first. No one told me that my predecessors had forced anyone who had gone to the gods to write out a detailed description of their dealings.

But none of those people had made a bargain with Juun. And none of the books had mentioned any sort of bird, much less a peacock.

“I went back to the old gods’ realm last night and wound up on Juun’s shit list. Now I have to do five impossible tasks, or she’s going to kill me because I’m not worthy of the Power, or her son.”

“Ah.” Ari picks her way through the scattered books and drops down to her knees so she can look me in the eye. “And one of those tasks is to get back her missing peacock.”

“Ye-yes.” I meet her gaze, and wonder, not for the first time, who she actually is. “How did you know it was a peacock?”

“That’s the only bird Juun cares about.” She studies my eyes the way someone might to check for a concussion. “If I told you that I know… vaguely where it is, would you be willing to get through the three things on this list we really can’t put off?”

“I’ll be putting them off forever if I’m dead.”

“You’re not going to die.” She stands and holds her hand out to me. “Trust me. I’ve never steered you wrong before, have I?”

I look at her and know I can trust her… but I still don’t know why.

“I’ve only known you for a month…. Why does it feel like it’s been so much longer?”

“You’ve been to the old gods’ realm. You know time doesn’t always work the way we think it does.”

“So you’re saying I’ve known you longer?”

“Sometimes, it feels like I’ve known you forever, Lily. I’m not going to let today be your last in this realm.”

When I finally take her hand, she pulls me to my feet and then takes a step back, admiring the diaphanous fabric.

“Your Eebie definitely knows how to work with your figure.” She chuckles as she leads the way out of the room. “He likes showing you off.”

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